Don’t miss the chance to win two Lunch Skins reusable, dishwasher-safe sandwich and snack bags!  I want to win this giveaway, they look so awesome!

August ended quicker than I thought it would.  Anyone else struggle with expecting too much to fit in too little time?  It’s definitely time for a review week, since it’s Labor Day and you all should be enjoying time with your families, and so everyone can look through the old Monday Missions and (a) pat yourself on the back for all those you’ve accomplished and (b) see if there are any you’d like to return to.

I did tell you that August would have two themes, however:

Analyzing Aluminum in August

and

Natural Cleaning Techniques

I didn’t quite fit all the Analyzing Aluminum topics in August, but last week’s notes on vaccines wrapped up the series.  If you missed any, here they are:

• Introduction
• Use less aluminum foil
• Baked Potatoes without Aluminum Foil
• Why Analyze Aluminum?
• Avoid Aluminum in Bakeware and Cookware
• Aluminum in Antiperspirants:  Hazard or Hoax?
• My Deodorant Story
• Monday Mission:  Switch your Baking Powder to Aluminum-Free
• Vaccine Notes

Next week’s Monday Mission will teach you how to avoid bleach in your kitchens.  Hopefully you’ve got your empty spray bottles ready!  Here are the other natural cleaning posts:

• Mrs. Meyer’s Dishwasher Detergent/Dishsoap Review
• How I use Microfiber Cloths
• Back to School:  Hand Sanitizer and Handsoap for the Classroom
• Send Bath and Body Works a Letter Asking them to get rid of Triclosan
• Keep your Stovetop and Oven Clean without Toxic Chemicals
• My Favorite One-Stop Cleaner
• A Timely Carnival:  Passionate Homemaking, one of the blogs that got me into blogging, held a carnival Friday on  Natural Housecleaning.

And for your review, a list of all the Monday Missions.  Have you completed as many as you could?  Choose one you may have skipped/missed.  New readers, here’s your chance to read the archives and enjoy the challenges! You can always find the entire Monday Mission list by clicking the “Missions Checklist” tab on the top of the screen.

1. Handwashing and Antibacterial Soap : Wash hands well and rid the house of triclosan.
2. Reduce Food Waste:  Salvage bread heels and leftover cooked veggies.
3. Reduce Energy Waste: Using your dishwasher wisely.
4. Meal Planning:  Level up in your meal plan organization.
5. Safe(er) Plastics:  Avoid BPA in drinking containers.
6. Traditional Bone Broths:  How to make the most delicious, frugal, nutritious chicken stock in the world.
   The next 15 weeks are a series of Super Food challenges.  See this page for details.
7. Legume Recommend Beans:  A challenge to include beans/legumes in your meal plan once a week, with how-to prepare and recipes.
8. Making Yogurt:  Easy how-to steps to make homemade yogurt, plus alternative baby steps for those who aren’t ready to take the plunge to homemade.
9. Eat More Eggs:  A simple challenge to include more of this super food in your week.
10. Can the Cans:  Commit to never allowing canned vegetables in your cupboards.
11. No Nukes for Cruciferous Vegetables:  Try steaming your vegetables instead of using the microwave.

Bonus: Mind the Microwave in May and its origins

12. Be Aware of the Dirty Dozen Produce Items:  Memorize the list of 12 top pesticide-laden fruits and veggies.
13. Plastics, Part two:  Rethink Plastic Food Storage
14. Fats, Part one:  Search Out Trans Fats (and a look at monounsaturated fats)
15. Fats, Part two:  Increase your Omega-3 Fats (salmon, flax)
16. Whole Grains:  Find a New Oat Recipe
17. Eating Orange (veggies) and Revisiting Meal Planning
18. Learn About Complete Proteins:  You can reduce meat consumption (budget help) if you know how to pair non-meal proteins for best nutrition.
19. Plastics, Part Three:  Reduce Your Consumption of Plastic Bags
20. Use up ALL your Spinach: Ideas to make sure you don’t waste spinach when you buy a fresh bag or box.
21. Try Something New:  Learn about Pomegranates, Green Tea, Cranberry Juice and Artichokes.
22. Condiment Awareness:  Take a small step (or two or three!) to making more healthy condiment choices.
23. Analyzing Aluminum Foil:  Some tips to help you Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle this non-renewable resource.
24. Analyzing Aluminum Cookware and Bakeware:  What are you cooking on?  Ideas to avoid aluminum pots, pans, and cookie sheets.
25. Conserve Energy with your Stovetop/Oven:  10 tips to cutting your energy and budget waste while cooking and baking.
26. Switch your Baking Powder to Aluminum-Free:  You can buy it for just a teensy bit more than conventional baking powder or make your own.

Thanks for joining us on our mission to balance God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  To learn more, keep reading at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

Keep up with KS by signing up for an email subscription or grabbing my reader feed.

I was so excited to find the photos of the nasty bacteria on my hands from my college soap experiment that I mentioned in my very first post.  Someday soon I’ll scan them and share what I learned with you!

This week you can look forward to:

• The recipe for the (successful!) soaked pancakes we took on our camping trip
• The Lunch Skins Giveaway ends Thursday!
• A breakdown of all those Super Foods and which health issues are best tackled by which foods
• Finally getting back to telling my story of food transitions
• A follow-up letter to Bath and Body Works’ after their reply to our first letter asking them to get rid of triclosan
• Food for Thought on why bleach is a no-no for a good steward
• Next Monday:  I’m excited to host a giveaway for Cultures for Health!